Detachable damper for convector heaters



July 25, 1950 F. M. YOUNG DETACHABLE DAMPER FOR CONVECTOR HEATERS 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 12, 1947 INVENTOR. FEED M Yau/ve July 25, 1950 F. M. YOUNG 2,516,358

DETACHABLE DAMPER FOR CONVECTOR HEATERS Filed Feb. 12, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 26 a i 9 I lNVE/VTOB F950 VIA own;

ATTOENE Y Patented July 25, 1950 DETACHABLE DAMPER FOR CONVECTOR HEATERS Fred Young, Racine, Wis., assignor to Young Radiator Company, Racine, Wis., a company of Wisconsin Application February 12, 1947, Serial No. 728,105

Claims.

The present invention relates to a detachable and adjustable damper particularly adapted for use on what is commonly called convector heater units.

Principal objects of the present invention are to provide a convector heater in which one panel of the cabinet has a grilled hot air outlet, and providing a damper for this outlet which may be detachably hinged to the panel, whereby the cabinet or heater may be shipped without the damper and then if the customer wishes a damper, one can be supplied and conveniently attached.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a damper which may be formed from a single piece of sheet metal and having preferably two spaced apart slits punched into the upper edge of the damper and adapted to engage hook shaped projections which are integrally formed on a fiat or flat pieces of metaland preferably spot welded to the inside of the panel of the cabinet or to the stiffening plate, so the damper may be detachably hingedly attached to the cabinet and whereby, if desired, after the damper is attached the hook shaped members may be hammered into a position so the damper can not become accidently detached.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bead chain and a bracket, the chain being adapted to slide over or in a suitable trench formed in the bracket and extend through an opening in the panel of the cabinet, the opening being large enough for the free passage of the beads therethrough and having at its bottom a key into which the cable of the bead chain may lie, thereby to lock the chain in any desired position of the damper, the chain having on its free end preferably a decorative hand piece which is larger than the opening.

"To these and other useful ends my invention consists of parts, combinations of parts or their equivalents and mode of operation as hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a three quarter front elevational view of a conventional convector heater having my improved damper.

Fig 2 is an enlarged section of a fraction of the convector heater taken online 22 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a fractional rear view of the front panel of the cabinet, the stifiening plate and a full rear view of the damper, showing the hinges and the chain bracket with the chain removed.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of a fraction of the stiffening plate showing its part of a hinge.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the damper hinge in section showing a fraction of the cabinet and damper with the hook extension hammered down so as to make the damper permanently hinged tothe panel.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the chain bracket.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modification.

As thus illustrated the convector is designate in its entirety by reference character A, having an air outlet grill 9 in its front panel [0.

I provide a stiffening plate ll having formed therein two hinge members 13 which are formed as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4. Member II is shaped as shown in Figure 2 and being spot welded to member H] as at I2, its upper edge contacting the top of the cabinet (see Figure 2).

I provide damper M which may be pressed from sheet steel into a pan shape as illustrated in the figures, or a flat sheet of steel may be used with the corners cut away and the edges bent into th shape shown.

Damper I4 is provided with two spaced apart slits l6 which are adapted to freely embrace members 13. When members l3 are first formed they have a shape as indicated in Figure 2 whereby the damper may be detachably hinged to member II, however, after damper I4 is placed into position these members l3 may, if desired, be ham-' mered down as illustrated in Figure 5, so thedamper can not become detached accidently.

Thus it will be seen in Figure 2, that when the damper is closed its four edges will substantially contact the rear edge of panel In by gravity and close the grill.

I provide novel means for manually controllin the position of damper M as follows:

A bracket B is preferably formed from list stock about as shown in the figures having trans-- versely extending feet 2l-2l adapted to be spot welded to member II as at 22.

' When member B is bent or formed into shape,v

plied with corresponding projections adapted to" fit into the depressions formed b'y-members 2 I 1 The inner end of member B is curved downwardly as at 24 and the curved bottom 26 thus formed is positioned slightly below an opening 21 and its key hole slot 28 (see Figure 3). Members 21 and 28 are cut in members it and H, so that when the cable between two :beads rests in the key the beads may rest in the trench, and the chain will be locked from longitudinal movement, the free end hanging down on the outside of the cabinet as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Opening 21 is slightly larger than beads of the chain C. The inner end of member C'is anchored to damper I4 as at l5, thus by lifting the outer end of chain C the chain beads will be free to move through the opening 2! for adjusting the damper.

In Figure 7 I illustrate a modification sectioned on the transverse center line of the cabinet, wherein the cabinet is designated by reference character D. An air outlet grill3ll is formed in the top 29 of the cabinet. In this design individual hinge members 32 are'preferably provided which are spot welded to member 2.9. Lip members 33 are first formed like member 13in Figure 2, then after member 32 is spot welded to member 29 the damper is hooked into position and member 33 is pounded down to a closed position as shown in Figures 5 and 7.

Damper I4 maybe exactly like that shown in the other figures and is shaped and positioned to cover grill 30 when closed. Bracket 'B is not needed in this design. An opening 31 having a keyhole slot 32 is provided similar to openings '21 and key 28 in Figures 1, 2 and 3 except that key hole slot 32 is bent upwardly at an angle as shown,

so as to more securely hold the chain in its locked positions. In this design the chain and its fastening to the damper are similar to that shown in the other figures except that the chain must be somewhat longer.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a device and a damper which can be easily manufactured at low cost and is easily adjusted, that the portion of the chain onthe outside of the cabinet indicates immediately the position of the damper and the adjusting of the damper is clearly easily understood. The exposed part of the chain will add to the artistic appearance of the cabinet. It will be understood that applicants damper may also serve a wall grill.

Clearly many minor detail changes may be made in the design shown without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as recited inthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. 'In a damper comprising in combination, a vertically arranged panel having a grill therein, a flanged damper with the flange turned forward and being hinged at its top edge to said panel, whereby, when the damper is closed, the flange will surround the grill and contact the inner surface of the panel '.by gravity and close the grill .iopening, an inwardly extending bracket secured to the inner side :of the panel directly above said grill, said bracket formed in a U- shaped channel with 'a downwardly curved inner end, anzopening in said panel having'a key hole slot in its bottom substantially in alignment with the bottom of said channeLa-bead chain secured atone end to the lower side of said'damper and extending'upwardly to and around said curved end and resting in said channel and extending through said opening and having :at its outer end ;a-.hand piece larger than the opening, said keyhole slot adapted to receive the flexible means on which the beads of the chain are secured in spaced relation, the beads being somewhat larger than said key hole slot to thereby act as a lock for the chain and being adapted to pass freely through said opening, whereby by lifting the chain the beads may be caused to pass through the opening for determining the position of the damper.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including, said panel forming the front of a convector cabinet heater, whereby the position of the damper may be changed manually from the exterior of the cabinet to regulate the flow of heated air from the cabinet.

3.'In a device as recited in claim 1 including, said damper hinge comprising a plate secured to the rear side of the panel and having integrally "formed thereon spaced curved hook shaped extensions, said damper having two openings near the upper edge thereof adapted to loosely embrace said hooks, the hooks being shaped whereby the damper nray be attached-and then hammered to a close'dposition.

4. A device'asrecited in claim 1 including, said damper hinge comprising spaced apart sheet metal plates secured to the rear side of the panel,

having integrally formed therefrom spaced hook shaped extension,'two slits in the upper edge of the 'damperadapted -to loosely embrace the hooks, said :heoks :being first open at their ends for convenient attachment of the damper and then being hammeredtoa substantially closed position to thereby make the hinge connection permanent.

5. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a cabinet having a lid panel with airectangular grille therein, a flanged damper withqthe flange adapted tosurround the grille and substantially contact thelower side of said lid panel-for closing the grille, said damper being'hinged at one edge to the panel by spaced apart hinges, said hinges comprising open end hooks made from thin flat material and secured to'the panel adjacent 'one side of the grille, slits cuti-n one edge .of the flange of the damper paral-lel to and near the edge thereof, said slits adapted to receive and loosely embrace the hooks forming detachable hinges with means whereby the hinges may be imadeper-manent by closing the open ends of the hooks, an opening in the panel adjacent the grille having a key cut in its edge, a bead chain secured at one end to the side of said damper adjacent said opening and extending freely through the opening, whereby the damper may be optionally positioned and locked by moving the bead chain in the opening and then moving the .fiexible part of the bead chain intosa-id key.

FRED M. YOUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references :are of record in the file 'of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 446,824 Tousley Feb. 17, 1891 1,523,268 *McColl Jan. 13, 1925 1,946,788 Germonprez Feb. 13, 1934 2,112,601 Kalischer Mar. 29, 1938 2,162,562 .Moore June 13, 1939 2,246,602 Schultz et al June 24,1941 

